Improvement in cotton-harvesters



l 2Sheets-Sheet1. I. BOONE.

Cotton Harvester.

No. 201,384. Patented March 19, 1,878.-

i /M/ f l K 2 Sheets-Sheet 2. I. BOONE. Cotton Harvester.

No. 201,384. Patented March 19, 1878; IWL?,

@f am@ METERS, PNOTO-LITHOGRAPER. WASHINGTDN. D `C.

UNTTED STATES PATENT OEEIoE.

ISAAC BOONE, OF TROY, OHIO.

IMPROVEMENT IN COTTON-HARVESTERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 201,384, dated March 19, 1878; application filed October 29, 1877.

To all`whom it may conce/m:

Be it known that I, IsAAe BOONE, of Troy, in the county of vMiami and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Gotton-Harvesters; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of my invention, which will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification. Y

The nature of my invention consists in the construction and arrangement of a cotton-pieking machine, as will be hereinafter more fully set forth.

In the annexed drawings, which form part of this specification, Figure 1 is a side elevation. Fig. 2 is a cross-section on line x Fig. 3 is atop view. Fig. 4 is a sectionbf crossbeam-O. Fig. 5 is a top view of short staybolt O1. Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the plate ofthe cross-beam c. Fig. 7 is a section, showing the picking attachments of my machine. Y

A and Al are the outer and inner sides of the two mainframes which support and contain the workin g parts of my invention. `Said frames continue backward and form boxes A2 A2, which receive the cotton when picked.

llhe entire machine is supported and carried by the axles of the main wheels B B, passing through the lower parts of the frames A A1. To the upper side and forward ends of side frames A1 A1 are secured .bearings A4 A4, and to the rear ends thereof are secured standards or bearings A5 A5. Guide boards C C are joined together by stay/-bolt O1, the axle of which projects on both sides and rests in bearings A4 A4, on which said guide-boards operate in avertical direction. The ends of shaftC2 rest in bearings A5 A5 said shaft having forwardprojecting arms 3 C3, which are pivoted to short uprights C4 O4 on the upper rear corners of guide-boards C C.

To one end of the shaft C2 is secured a down-` ward-projecting arm, O5. To the lower end of this arm is pivoted rod G5, which passes to the forward end of the lmachine, and is there pivoted to hand-lever O7. The forward movement of this hand-lever G7 (by the driver) will operate the shaft O2, so as to cause-the arms G3 C3 to draw the rear end of the guide-boards upward, which operation lowers the forward points of the guide-boards, so that the said points will pass just above the lower branches ofthe cotton-plant, as seen in Fig. 1, which causes the said lower branches (containing'the ripened cotton in the rst picking) to pass along the outer sides of the guide-boards back to the picking devices, hereinafter described, while the upper branches of the plant (containing the unripened cotton) are caused to pass between the guide-boards, and are passed over uninjured, without coming in contact'with the picking devices.

In the second or later pickings the arms O3 are moved backward, pressing the rear ends ofi the guide-boards downward, and causin g their forward points to rise, so that the guideboards will pass inside the higher branches of the plant, the cotton upon which has ripened,

and is ready for the picking devices, which come into contact therewith after the passage of the guide-boards.

In the last picking stay-bolt O1 is removed, l

leaving its axle to support the guide-boards;

also, shaft C2 is replaced with a shorter shaft, i

having arms O3 O3, closer together, Fig. 5. Guide-boards C O are thus brought immediately together, so that they pass inside all the branches of the plant, which are then operated upon by the picking devices, as before stated.

It is obvious that the driver can raise orv lower the points of the guide-boards, according to the height of the ripened cotton on the plant which he may be approaching. This separating of the branchesv containing the ripened cotton from those containing the green, allowing the green cotton to be passed over uninjured, l claim has great advantages over all other cotton-picking machines.

I will now describe the cotton-picking devices.`

D is the drive-wheel, having the axle of the main wheel for its axle, to which it is made firm, causing it to revolve therewith. On the outer circumference of drive-,wheel D is gear D1, which gears at its upper side with pinion E, which, being made firm with shaft E2, revolves belt-pulley E3. F is the picker-belt, provided with rows of claws F2, short distances apart. The picker-belt passes around the pulley E2, from which it receives its motion, and thence downward and around pulley G. It then passes upward on the forward side, carrying its claws therewith, so that when the guide-boards pass along inside the branches of the cotton-plant, and the picker reaches the branches, the claws F2 take hold and draw the ripened cotton from the pods, and carry it upward and over pulley E2, and downward on the rear side until it comes in contact with a rapidly-revolving wheel, H, which is provided with short straight wire projections, which pass between the claws of the picking belt and take thev cotton from the claws. The cotton is thus carried downward on the forward side of the wheel H, and upward on its rear side, where it is taken off by downward-proj ectin g needles or wires I. Thus, the cotton is deposited in the receiving-boxes A2 A2. The said wheel H is caused to revolve rapidly by being rmly secured to axle H1, which, in turn, has a small pinion geared with the large drive-wheel D.

To facilitate bringing the branches of the plant in contact with the picker-band, on the inner side, and near the outer circumference of drive-wheel D, is abevel-gear, D2, which gears into a like beveled smaller gear, K, on the same shaft as gear K, and revolving therewith is pulley K1, around which passes belt K2, thence around a pulley on the lower end vof the shaft of the feeding device L. This feeding device L is provided with a number of radiating arms, and is caused to revolve horizontally by band K2. As the said arms revolve inwardly on the front side, and rearwardly on the in side, they prevent any branches from getting between side frames'A A1 as the machine advances, thus causing all branches to stand between side A1 and guide-board C, to be operated upon by the picker-belt as the machine passes.

To prevent the tops of the branches of the plant from extending above the picker-belt, a small cord-pulley, E4, is secured to shaft E2. Around this pulley a cord, m, is passed, and then crossed, and thence passed around pulley N, which is secured to shaft N1. On the inner end of said shaft Nl is secured another feeder-pulley, N 3, with radiating flat arms N4, which are as wide as the space between side frame A1 and guide-board C. This feederwheel N3 is caused to revolve downward on the front side, and rearward on the under side, thus carryingthe branches of the cotton back to the picker-belt E, and preventing the branches from extending above the same. The arms N1 of feeder N3 press the top of the branches of the plant against the picker-belt, and hold it there while the picker-claws draw the cotton from the branches.

It is observed that there are two distinct sides of my machine, containing like working parts, respectively. These sides are secured at short distances from each other by crossbeams O O across the top of the rear and forward ends of the machine. These cross-beams have attached, by bolts, to their under sides the iron frame or support Ol O, in the shape of an inverted U, the sides of which are braced and made strong by the stays O2. This iron frame or support Ol is shown in an inverted position in Fig. 6, where the stay O2 is thrown out of position and its true position shown in dotted lines.

The sides of these iron frames or supports project downward, and are attached by bolts to main frames A A1, respectively, thus strongly securing the two sides of the machine at a short distance from each other. In the rst picking these iron supports 0l O1 are placed to the end of the cross-beam O, so as to hold the two inner sides of boxes A2 A2 of the machine and the guide-boards C C at sufiicient distance from each other to allow the top or branches of the plant containing the unripened cotton to stand between said inner sides of boxes A2 A2 and guide-boards C 0 without injury as the machine advances.

In the second picking the iron supports O1 Ol are adjusted toward the middle of the cross-beam O, as shown in Fig. 4; also, staybolt C1 is replaced with the shorter stay-bolt C2, (shown in Eig. 5;) also, shaft C2 is replaced with a shorter one, as before described.

lIn the last picking the supports O1 are adjusted still farther toward the middle of the cross-beam O, and stay-bolt C8 is removed, so that the inner sides of boxes A2 A2 and guideboards C G are brought immediately together,

causing all the branches of the plant to pass along the-outer sides of the guide-boards C Cl and back to the picker-band, as before described. v

Having thus fully described my invention,

I claim as new and desire to secure by Let-v ters Patentl. The guide-boards C, made to operate in a y vertical direction on pivots situated at their upper central part, substantially as land for the purpose set forth.

2. In a cotton-picking machine, the combination of the picker-belt E with the wheel H and strippers or clearers I, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

' 3. In a cotton-picking machine, the clearers or strippers I, arranged substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

4. The combination of the picking devices F H I with the gear El, shaft E2, pulley E3, pulley G, and shaft H1 and shaft H2, all being operated by the main drive-wheel D, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

5. A cotton-picking machine made in two parts, each part having similar mechanism,

and with a narrow open passage between, to

allow the unripened cotton to stand between said parts without injuring the. said cotton as the machine advances, substantially as and for the purpose set forth. Y

6. The combination of the guide-boards C, stayebolt C1, shaft G2, with its projecting arms C3 C5, connectingrod C6, and lever C2, all the parts mentioned being arranged substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

7. In a cotton-picking machine, the feeder N3, having radiating arms N4, for pressing the branches of the plant against the picking devices and holding the same thereto While being picked, substantially as described.

8. In a cotton-picking machine, the combination of the cross-beams O With their supports, said supports being adjustably connectedto cross-beams O by bolts or their equivalents, substantially as specified.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I afx my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

. ISAAC BOONE.

Witnesses A. A. HosMER, H. J. GRAY. 

